Anna might know how to help him... for a price.

That... wasn't actually a bad idea, Laslow mused. Anna may have been the commander of the Askran army, but first and foremost she was a merchant, like every other Anna. Maybe she had some kind of guidebook to flirting or something stashed away.

Laslow stood up and began to jog towards Anna's office. It was pretty near to the cafe he was at, so it only took five or six minutes to get there.

"Come in!" Anna half-shouted when Laslow knocked. Taking a deep breath to push down the awkwardness he was beginning to feel, Laslow slipped in and shut the door. "Oh, Laslow. What is it?" Anna asked neutrally. Laslow winced at the less than friendly tone, but he supposed it wasn't undeserved. Flirting with her when he was supposed to be fending off some sword cavaliers was maaaaybe not the best idea he'd ever had.

Laslow swallowed nervously. "Uh, hey. I kind of need some help."

Anna rolled her eyes at this. "If a girl is chasing you down, I'm not intervening." Laslow waved his hands frantically.

"No no no, uh, nothing of the sort. I... it's a bit embarrassing to say this, but, uh... I haven't had any success with the girls in a long time, and I was hoping you could sell me something that might help?"

The moment Anna heard the word 'sell', her eyes lit up. Laslow could practically see the dollar signs floating around her head. "Well, why didn't you say so?" she exclaimed, her voice immensely cheerier. "Let me see what I've got."

Laslow could only blink as Anna vanished from sight, and clattering noises began to emanate from the storage closet in the back of the room. A moment later Anna burst out, a sackful of objects in her arms.

She grinned gleefully at him. "I hope you brought your wallet." Laslow winced at the inevitable hit to his funds. "So, I've got a few items from here that I think you might like. How about this?" she asked, pulling out a pink tome with a heart on the front. "Guaranteed to help you woo the lady of your dreams." Before he could respond, she continued. "Hmmm, no, you want more immediate results, and you're not aiming for a specific girl. Maybe... this?" She revealed a golden ticket. "This'll guarantee you at least a date with one of the girls- it's a leftover from an old bet between us." Anna smirked at him. "Unless... you want one of the less legal options?"

"Uh... maybe?" Laslow said hesitantly. Anna winked at him.

"Oh-ho, a bit shy are we? No worries, all of these come with the Anna family seal of approval." She reached into the sack and withdrew a small pouch, three books and a velvet-coloured case. "This little pouch is full of candy that I, uh, acquired from Gaius. They're laced with a variety of things, including aphrodisiacs and sedatives. These three books are one-use tomes, sold as a package. They make one unit of the same colour as the tome obey any command you give them, but it only lasts for 24 hours. This little box here contains 5 pink orbs- a rare version of the summoning orbs that the Breidablik uses. They're enough to summon one hero of your choice, the only difference being that the hero you summon will be incredibly horny and do whatever you say."

Laslow looked at the items, thinking carefully. He stared at them for a while until Anna spoke up again.

"If none of these appeal to you, then I suppose I could... help you out personally, if you know what I mean. For a price, of course."